94

First of all, I don’t think this tea deserves the 94 I’ve given it on taste alone. Of course, this is dynamic through the first 7 infusions before settling in to mildly over-extracted sheng puerh notes. I’ve done 3g in 60mL and 10g in 150mL, and I’ve found that the tea is fairly forgiving given the lower brewing temperatures that I use (170-195F). I’ve found that at least some of the initial steepings yield a nice thick, brothy, umami, middle tones that are pleasant. However, I think the tea makes up the rest of its price in the effects it has on the body. By the second cup I was already feeling warmth in the face, and through the next few I was giggling and feeling floaty and high. I made the mistake of having two steepings of 3g in 60mL (the 5th and 6th, actually) before going to class, and while I was able to take notes with full clarity, I felt myself having to both force myself to focus a little bit harder, and I had to bite back the giggles. I became self-conscious when I walked to my next class and had to try not to break into a smile during a lecture about 1950’s Stalinist policy. That said, I had one of the best days I’ve had in the last few months due to the fantastic mood I was in all day. I’ve yet to have a personal session of this tea straight through (the 10g in 150mL was with four other people, of course), but this isn’t a tea I feel comfortable merely taking out to brew on a whim due to the price and the psychological effects that need to be planned for.

Preparation
3 g 2 OZ / 60 ML

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Eau Claire, WI native and current UW student living in Madison. My hometown had a tea shop that got me into tea before I went off to college to learn from talking to experts in Nashville and Madison, particularly the owner of Macha Tea Company. My tastes change with the seasons, but I love sheng and shou pu-erh, rock oolongs, Taiwanese oolongs, Yunnan blacks, and Japanese greens.

My love of tea is balanced by my love of good coffee (I have lists of the best coffee shops for Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Madison, Nashville, and Chicago) and my love of chemistry and environmental sciences, my fields of study in college.

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Helena, MT

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